When the St. Joseph's altar is prepared, there are always dishes
of seafood signifying the most common sources of food for Sicilians prior
to their emigration to this country. During a famine, families prayed
to St. Joseph for deliverance, promising to erect an annual altar for
the poor on his feast day if they survived. Descendants of these families
continue to build these altars today. The use of twelve fish signifies
deliverance while referring to the apostles as fishers of men.
The burro in the image was photographed on a farm in New Hampshire.
During the middle ages, the flight into Egypt was reenacted in
certain cathedrals (notably, Autun) during the feast of fools. Members of the
congregation dressed in the costumes of the holy family lead a donkey into the
cathedral, parading it about the altar as Mass was celebrated. The atmosphere was
raucous and carnivalesque, but tolerated for some time by the clergy.1
One of the pattern details is derived from the cage which held two doves in a 1998 altar
hosted by Mary's Helpers. Doves on the altar refer to the feast of the Presentation.
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Twelve Fish
